Dead gray whale undergoes detailed exam

Researchers take tissue samples and continue investigation on the mammal's death.

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Marine mammal biologist Dyanna Lamborn and Jessie Huggins, stranding coordinator for Cascadia Research in Olympia, remove the skin and the blubber from a gray whale to get to its internal organs Thursday on Erlands Point in Bremerton . MEEGAN M. REID/KITSAP SUN

MEEGAN M. REID

BREMERTON - A necropsy of a young gray whale that died Wednesday on Erlands Point is considered one of the most extensive examinations of a gray whale ever conducted in Washington state.

The 30-foot whale was identified as a male between 2 and 5 years old. No obvious signs of illness or life-threatening trauma were found, but health problems might be revealed through microscopic examination of tissues as well as tests for toxic chemicals.

The whale was clearly starving at the time of his death, but it is not clear what led to his emaciated condition, said Jessie Huggins of Cascadia Research, one of a dozen people involved in Thursday's examination.

"He was either skinny and got sick," she noted, "or else he was sick and got skinny."

The examination Thursday on the beach where the whale died involved taking tissue samples from nearly every organ in his body, along with samples of blood, urine and other body fluids, said Dyanna Lamborn, a marine mammal biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Of particular note was the exploration into the skull, marking the first time that Western Washington researchers have obtained fresh brain tissue from a gray whale.

Chuck Crawford, a Bremerton veterinarian associated with West Sound Wildlife Shelter, cut into the skull with a drill and saw, retrieving even sterile tissue from deep inside the brain.

"The brain is pretty fragile," said Crawford, who worked on the skull with four assistants from his clinic. "Things start to decompose within 30 minutes."

The brain tissues appeared to be in good condition, Crawford said. It helped that the whale had died just a day earlier and was kept relatively cool by the seawater.

Microscopic examination of the brain tissue could reveal whether gray whales are afflicted by one or more single-celled protozoa that can kill seals and sea otters. It is a question that has never been answered for gray whales. Naturally, a parasitic disease is just one of many possible health problems for the whale, but fresh tissues have given the researchers hope that they can determine the cause of death for this whale and perhaps others.

During Thursday's examination, researchers made several observations at first glance:

— The blubber was thin, perhaps half the normal thickness, and it appeared to be low on oil content.

— The stomach contained no food, only what appeared to be digested seaweed. (Gray whales typically eat small crustaceans and mollusks, which they filter out of sediments scooped up from the bottom.)

— The animal's kidneys and liver showed signs of swelling.

— His testicles were small, even for a young animal.

Huggins said necropsies of gray whales frequently involve animals that wash up days or weeks after they die, leaving questions about whether their physical abnormalities occurred before or after death. This whale's tissues "look like what they are supposed to look like," she said.

"This is one of the most extensive internal examinations we have ever done on a gray whale," she said.

"It was a one-in-a-lifetime experience," added Morgan Myers, who assisted Crawford with the brain surgery.

Brian Gorman, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle, said tissue samples from the Bremerton whale will be sent to researchers working on various studies throughout the United States.

One request, for example, came from the Smithsonian Institution, which will receive tissues rich in nerves from the nose of the Bremerton whale. It wasn't clear how those tissues will be studied.

"This whale died yesterday," Gorman said, "but its legacy will live on."

The disposition of the carcass remains undetermined. The Suquamish Tribe is interested in getting the skeleton, said Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman. "We're assessing the feasibility of it."